ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses there are rooted primary relationship stories: partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and, of course, pets. In the practice of community work and storytelling, the authors are talking about a story that emerges from a small audience, within a safe environment, that is as close to private as family, as close to personal as diary. In traditional culture, stories are the units of knowledge to live by, and the ability to call them out and perform them is cherished. Accomplishment stories are about achieving a goal, like graduating from school, landing a major contract, or being on the winning team in a sporting event. For many people with professional careers, a life story is shaped by their job. A good story often comes from looking at the familiar in a new way and with a new meaning. Sharing the experience of overcoming a great challenge in life is a fundamental archetype in human storymaking.
